The mother of the era is reborn to support her cannon fodder children!

Chapter 217 "Divine Porridge"

"How do we do it?" Huang Xiulan asked.

My third sister-in-law is educated, and what she said makes sense; she'll definitely listen to her and be right.

Lin Zhao countered, "Do you have rice at home?"

"Yes, yes." Huang Xiulan said "yes" twice, and then said, "Your older brother felt sorry for Li Bao because he couldn't eat anything, so he found a way to get a bowl of rice. Is that enough? If not, I'll have him go and get some more."

Her worries about her son reached their peak.

She stopped thinking about saving money and just wanted her baby to get better quickly.

"That's enough." Lin Zhao's voice was gentle. "The recipe is very simple. There's meat, rice, and vegetables... that's enough."

She briefly explained how to do it.

Huang Xiulan was a skilled cook, so Lin Zhao only needed to explain briefly to her before she understood.

Lin Zhao instructed Yu Bao: "Yu Bao, go home and get that piece of meat from the chopping board... that was covered by the mesh basin, and give it to your good brother."

"Yes!" Yu Bao responded, pulling Heng Bao away.

Hengbao shouted in a loud voice, "Brother, why are you pulling me? I haven't even seen Libao yet."

“You can’t look. Mom said that children have weak immune systems and are easily attacked by viruses. If we get sick, Mom will have to take care of both of us, which is too hard for her. We have to endure it and try our best not to get sick,” Yu Bao solemnly instructed his younger brother.

Hengbao asked, "Can I talk to Libao from a distance? I haven't seen him in so long, he must miss me!"

Lin Zhao remained silent.

He's definitely getting cocky.

That's so confident of him, not even mentioning that he himself wants to talk to Li Bao.

Yu Bao said, "Li Bao misses me too."

“Of course,” Hengbao said confidently. “We are his good brothers, of course he misses us.”

Thinking of Li Bao's illness and discomfort, his inability to eat or sleep properly, his eyes were full of sympathy. "Poor Li Bao."

No sooner had Hengbao finished speaking than Yubao remembered that she hadn't given the roasted chestnuts to Libao yet, so she ran back to remind Lin Zhao, "Mom, don't forget to give the sweet chestnuts to Libao."

Then he ran away.

Before Lin Zhao could respond, Huang Xiulan said emotionally, "It's so kind of Yu Bao and Heng Bao to care about Tie Chui."

Li Bao, who had come out to use the outhouse, overheard this. The little guy stopped in his tracks, looked at his mother with displeasure, and said very seriously, "Li Bao, I told you to call me Li Bao, Mom, you've forgotten again. Cough cough cough..."

She coughed halfway through her sentence, and her little face turned bright red.

He covered his mouth, turned his body to the side, and refused to face Lin Zhao.

He didn't forget to call her "Third Aunt".

Lin Zhao softened a bit, untied the bag of chestnuts, took out a soft and glutinous chestnut, and put it into his mouth.

"Yu Bao and Heng Bao specially saved this for you, have a taste."

Little Li Bao looked at the snacks that her third aunt was offering to her, her eyes turned cross-eyed, and she unconsciously opened her white little mouth and ate them.

I instinctively took a bite; it was sweet and soft.

It's completely different from what we used to make at home.

"Third Aunt, it's delicious." Li Bao's voice was hoarse. He had a bad cough and his vocal cords were somewhat damaged, which changed his voice.

"I'll save all the good stuff for you. Eat one if you get hungry." Lin Zhao rubbed Li Bao's head, his hands sticky with sweat.

It's the sweat and oil on the child's head.

The weather has been cool lately, with no sun even during the day. Huang Xiulan doesn't dare to bathe her son, fearing he'll catch a cold and his condition will worsen. She only wipes Xiao Libao's body down, as he's always sweating and his skin feels sticky.

Lin Zhao's expression stiffened slightly.

Out of consideration for the child's self-esteem, he did not show any desire to wipe his hands, but gave the chestnut to Huang Xiulan, put his hands in his pockets, and wiped the stickiness of his fingers on a handkerchief.

perfect.

Li Bao was unaware that he had charmed his third aunt. He tilted his thinner face up and spoke in a soft voice typical of a child.

"Thank you, Third Aunt."

"No need to thank me. Take good care of yourself. Yu Bao and Heng Bao are looking forward to you going to school with them." Lin Zhao said gently, "When you're better, go stay in the county for a few days."

Li Bao rarely goes to the county. He has long envied the twins who can go there often and is very interested in the movie theater, supply and marketing cooperative, etc. that they talk about.

The last time his father took him to the county, he only went to the county hospital; he didn't go to the other places he wanted to go.

Upon hearing this, Li Bao's dark eyes lit up, and she clenched her little hands, saying, "I'll get better soon."

He paused, then added, "...even going to the clinic is fine."

Huang Xiulan asked excitedly, "Li Bao, you're willing to go to the clinic?"

She had wanted to take her son a few days ago, but the child cried so hard, coughing as if he couldn't breathe. She was afraid that the boy would hurt his voice from crying, so she didn't dare to push him any further.

Even her mother-in-law tried to comfort her, but she cried whenever the topic came up, sobbing uncontrollably. Gu's mother couldn't bear it, so she went to the clinic herself, explained her grandson's symptoms, and got some medicine prescribed.

In the countryside, medical treatment is not so elaborate. Many people are reluctant to spend money on medical treatment and will find herbs to brew and drink themselves.

Li Bao's little face scrunched up in a frown. "...Hmm."

He stretched out his small, thin hand, which looked like a chicken claw, first making a two, then a one, as if to negotiate: "Wait two more... no, one more day. If it's still not better, then we'll go."

The voice was hoarse, as if it had been scrubbed with a steel wool pad.

Huang Xiulan thought it was only a day, so she nodded: "It's settled then."

Li Bao nodded reluctantly.

I felt a sudden bloating in my lower abdomen and rushed to the outhouse.

"Slow down, be careful not to catch a cold," Huang Xiulan shouted.

Seeing that Li Bao didn't reply, as if he couldn't hold it in any longer, he went into the outhouse. She laughed and scolded, "You brat, you're always causing trouble."

After saying that, Huang Xiulan looked at Lin Zhao, "I've been cooped up at home for almost half a month, I was so bored. As soon as Yu Bao and Heng Bao came back, they were all so energetic!"

Lin Zhao smiled gently, "We grew up together, and neither of us can live without the other."

She glanced at the outhouse and finally couldn't help but say, "If the child continues to feel unwell, we should see a doctor as soon as possible to avoid delaying his treatment."

Although Little Hammer grew up peacefully and smoothly in the original book, who knows what accidents might happen? Any accident, if it befalls an individual, would be a catastrophic disaster.

Huang Xiulan knew that her third sister-in-law meant well for her family's well-being, and said with a smile, "Yes, she will."

"It's all your older brother's fault. If he hadn't insisted on taking Li Bao to the hospital, Li Bao wouldn't have been so scared. He jumped up and down as soon as he heard he had to see a doctor." His words were full of reproach.

To be fair, Lin Zhao said, "Even Gu Chenghuai couldn't resist his four sons begging him. The eldest brother only did it because Li Bao rarely went to the county; who knew he would run into that incident?"

Everyone knows the logic, but when it comes to their own children, parents always want to smash the culprit's head in.

“You’re right, it’s just that… Li Bao is afraid of doctors, and that’s not a good thing,” Huang Xiulan said worriedly.

Lin Zhao comforted her, saying, "There's always a way out."

“That’s true.” Huang Xiulan temporarily put aside her annoyance and said, “It’s a pity your fourth brother isn’t here, otherwise Li Bao would have been cured long ago.”

She gave a thumbs up: "Your fourth brother's medical skills are amazing."

Lin Zhao raised her chin slightly, her tone proud: "My fourth brother started learning medicine from Grandpa Meng a long time ago. He is talented and hardworking, so it's not surprising that his medical skills are high. Most of the people in the group have minor ailments, which are naturally easy for him to handle."

Huang Xiulan would offer a compliment, and Lin Zhao would shower her with praise as if it were free, one after another, clearly taking pride in her fourth brother's achievements.

“Yes,” Huang Xiulan replied sincerely, “Dr. Meng is not only highly skilled in medicine, but also has a kind heart.”

It wasn't that she was flattering her third brother's wife; it was simply the truth.

When the two Dr. Mengs lived in the Gu family's house, they would help treat anyone in the village who was sick. The medicines they prescribed were very cheap. If they saw that someone really couldn't afford it, they would only charge them some vegetables. They were all very good doctors.

Lin Zhao laughed out loud, "I will write to my fourth brother about everyone's feedback."

Huang Xiulan slapped her thigh and said, "It should be said, it should be said."

As they were talking, the twins came over with the meat.

After putting down the meat, the two boys rushed straight to Li Bao's room. Before getting close, they craned their necks and shouted, "Li Bao, we're here!"

As soon as they finished speaking, Li Bao rushed out of the outhouse, pulling up his pants, a bright smile on his face. In a voice unfamiliar to the twins, he excitedly said, "Yu Bao, Heng Bao, you're back."

"I haven't seen you all in so long."

Although he was happy, he remembered that he was sick and kept two meters away from them, afraid of infecting Yu Bao and Heng Bao with the virus. Being sick is awful; you can't eat or sleep well, you have no energy, and nothing tastes good. Li Bao didn't want Yu Bao and Heng Bao to be like him.

Third Aunt said that sick people carry unclean things that can be passed on to people with poor health, so he shouldn't get close to Yu Bao and Heng Bao.

"Li Bao, why does your voice sound like that? How are you? Does your head still hurt?" Yu Bao asked with concern.

"It's still a bit hot, cough cough cough..." Li Bao was so excited that a gust of wind rushed into her throat, and she coughed for a while before saying, "I'm much better now. After I rest a bit more, I can go to and from school with you all. My third aunt asked me to stay in the county for a few days, and I'll sleep with you then."

Yu Bao said solemnly, "Okay, then you have to take your medicine obediently and listen to your aunt."

“Okay!” Li Bao solemnly agreed.

Hengbao took two steps forward, remembering his brother's words, and didn't get too close, asking, "Libao, have you tasted the roasted chestnuts?"

Li Bao: "I tasted it, it's sweet and soft, it's really delicious."

"Get well soon. When you're better, I'll take you out for something hot. Hot food tastes better," Hengbao said.

Both he and Yubao have piggy banks. They put money in them whenever someone gives them it—money from their uncles, their aunt, their maternal grandparents, their great-uncle and great-aunt…

Lin Zhao roughly calculated that the two boys were quite wealthy.

She didn't interfere with the children's money, letting the two brothers manage it themselves.

From her observation, she found that neither of the boys spent much money. Once, she saw the two boys with their heads touching, talking about saving money to buy a big car and a plane in the future.

Lin Zhao almost burst out laughing on the spot, but luckily she held it in, otherwise she didn't know how many pieces her two children's hearts would have shattered.

Li Bao smiled sheepishly, "Heng Bao, you're so nice, and Yu Bao is nice too."

Two little boys who looked very similar had colorful little flowers blooming in their hearts, their eyes curving up like cold, dark stars.

The three children were talking two meters apart, looking very serious, which was especially cute.

After they talked for a while, Lin Zhao spoke up: "...Let Li Bao rest. We can talk when he's better."

The two children stopped talking, still wanting more.

Reluctantly saying goodbye to Li Bao, she then left with her mother.

After they left, Huang Xiulan opened the cloth bag that Lin Zhao had given her. Inside was a bag of red dates, a few apples, and some rice.

Her third aunt is so generous.

Huang Xiulan said happily, "Libao, your third aunt gave you these red dates. I'll make you some water to drink later."

She touched her son's gaunt face with heartache, saying, "You've become so thin, you need to eat more."

Li Bao nodded obediently, "Mmm."

When a person is not feeling well, they can't help but want to sleep. When Yu Bao and Heng Bao are around, he is in good spirits, but as soon as they leave, he loses all his energy.

Li Bao yawned. "Mom, I want to sleep."

"Okay, you go to sleep first. I'll wake you up after I've finished cooking." Seeing that her son was still sleepy, Huang Xiulan picked him up and carried him into the house.

These past few days, she's been taking care of her sick son, Li Bao, and has only been working half a day, afraid that something might happen to the child.

I put Li Bao on the bed, covered her with the small blanket, and tucked the corners of the blanket in.

Then go to the kitchen to cook porridge.

Huang Xiulan was quite worried that Li Bao still had no appetite, or that he would vomit after eating. She was anxious and did everything according to Lin Zhao's instructions.

After half an hour.

The aroma comes from the kitchen.

When Tiedan got home, he smelled the aroma and clung to the kitchen door. "Mom, what are you making? It smells so good!"

"Vegetable and lean meat porridge." Huang Xiulan glanced at him and said, "Your brother throws up everything he eats, but your third aunt told me that this porridge helped him. I'll give it a try."

Tie Dan licked his lips, didn't make a fuss, twitched his nose a few times, and struggled to look away.

"I found some wild fruit, washed it, and I'm going to give it to Li Bao."

After saying that, she went to her younger brother's room.

His eldest brother has become much more sensible since his younger brother got sick. Huang Xiulan's heart softened, and she called out to him, "Li Bao is asleep, let's leave it for now. There's extra porridge, you and your sister can each have half a bowl."

Tie Dan, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, asked, "Really?"

"Mom, why are you suddenly being so generous, letting me drink plain rice porridge! Don't you always complain that I eat everything and leave nothing behind?"

Huang Xiulan suddenly didn't want to be a loving mother and a filial son, and wanted to beat him up.

"Eat it or not? If you don't, give it to your dad!"

She held traditional views, giving the best things in the house to the children first, and then leaving them for the men; she rarely ate or used them herself.

Fortunately, the man she married had many good children, and they always remembered her when they had something good.

Tie Dan hurriedly said, "I'll eat it, I'll eat it!"

He muttered to himself, "I was just saying, I didn't say I wouldn't eat..."

Huang Xiulan glared at her, "Shut up if you want to eat."

Why are you talking so much? It's annoying.

Tie Dan shut his mouth.

As long as he can eat meat porridge, what does it matter if he keeps quiet? He can even stay silent at the hospital.

“The rice was a gift from your third aunt,” Huang Xiulan told her son.

The third sister-in-law is good to her two sons, so she should tell them to remember her kindness.

Tie Dan: "Mom, don't worry. I remember how good Third Aunt has been to us. I will definitely be filial to my Third Uncle and Third Aunt in the future."

A complex emotion flashed in Huang Xiulan's eyes.

I'm afraid the third wife doesn't need it.

Of the entire Gu family, the third branch is probably the most successful.

She didn't discourage her son's confidence, but simply said, "With Yu Bao and Heng Bao around, your third uncle and aunt probably don't need each other."

A child's character is formed by age three. Those two boys are smart and filial. When they grow up... they will definitely be able to uphold the family's honor.

Tie Dan expressed his disapproval, "There will always be places that Yu Bao and Heng Bao can't take care of."

They don't have three heads and six arms, so there will definitely be times when they need help. When that happens, that's when Gu Zhixing will step in.

Huang Xiulan glanced at her son's overly confident face and said nothing more.

She scooped half a bowl for Tie Dan, then a small bowl for Tie Chui, and left the rest for Gu Lan before going to Li Bao's room.

I woke up Li Bao, who wasn't sleeping soundly, and gave him some porridge.

Li Bao's nose was stuffy, so he couldn't smell anything, whether it was smelly or fragrant. His mother brought the porridge to him, and only then did he smell the aroma, and his blurry eyes brightened.

"Mom, it smells so good." Her voice was even hoarse.

Huang Xiulan felt extremely sorry for him and fed him porridge, saying, "Try it and see if you like it. If you don't like it, don't force yourself to eat it. Mom will peel an apple for you."

Li Bao sat up, leaned against the small, patched pillow, coughed a few times, and drank the porridge that his mother blew on and fed him.

The vegetable porridge contained his favorite green vegetables, white rice, and his favorite meat; it tasted quite good.

The child's eyes lit up after taking a bite.

"Mom, it's delicious," he said.

Huang Xiulan was overjoyed and quickly fed her son.

She fed him, and Li Bao opened his mouth to eat. In a short while, he finished a small bowl of porridge.

Li Bao broke out in a sweat. "Mom, I'm sweating."

“Sweating is a good thing.” Huang Xiulan wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Let me wipe it for you. Don’t wash it yet. Wait until you’re completely better before you wash it.”

Li Bao nodded obediently.

His mother pulled him up and wiped his body with a wet towel, and he felt refreshed and fell asleep again.

Lin Zhao was unaware of these things, and even less aware that her sister-in-law would later regard the vegetable and lean meat porridge as a divine porridge, recommending it to anyone who was sick.

She came to the Gu family's old house, wanting to ask Mr. Gu how his mushroom cultivation was going...

(End of this chapter)